Category Archives: CREATION AND EARLY MAN

CREATION AND EARLY MAN, Why did God ask where Adam was?

Why did God ask where Adam was?

WHY DID GOD ASK WHERE ADAM WAS?

by Shawn Brasseaux

Bible critics enjoy selecting puzzling Bible verses and quoting them at the Christian in hopes of silencing God’s child. Genesis 3:9 is one such example, and, in this study, we would be quite eager to explain why an omniscient God asked a question as to Adam’s whereabouts.

In the opening verses of Genesis chapter 3, we read about Satan seducing Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Deceived by his smooth talking, she relents, and then gives the fruit to Adam who willfully follows his wife in her rebellion against the LORD’S instructions.

The Bible says in Genesis chapter 3: “[6] And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. [7] And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. [8] And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. [9] And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? [10] And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. [11] And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? [12] And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. [13] And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.”

We want to focus on verse 9, “And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?” The LORD God knew where Adam was, so why did He ask that question? Again, Bible critics often stumble over this verse and claim it is silly for God to be inquiring about Adam’s whereabouts. The scoffer overlooks two valuable pieces of information; this seemingly awkward verse contains doctrine that only a Bible believer can notice and appreciate.

Firstly, by asking, “Adam, where art thou?,” the LORD was prompting thoughts in Adam’s mind. Upon hearing God’s voice, Adam immediately thought, “I should be fellowshipping with Him. I should be right by His side, but look at me, fearful and hiding amongst the trees! My relationship with Him is severed!”

Secondly, nothing is hidden from God’s sight: God in His omniscience knew exactly where Adam was hiding and why he was hiding: “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). By asking, “Adam, where art thou?,” the LORD is bringing Adam to the place of accountability. Adam is forced to confess that he is hiding from God because he has blatantly disobeyed God’s commandment: he has eaten the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, so as any sinner does, he hides from the holy God of creation. As the Lord Jesus Christ said in John 3:17-21: “[17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. [18] He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [19] And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. [20] For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. [21] But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”

God asked Adam and Eve four questions in Genesis 3:8-13, questions whose answers He knew—He asked them all to bring Adam and Eve to accountability. We want to briefly look at these four questions and how God prompted answers from Adam and Eve, to cause them to realize just what they had done:

  • QUESTION #1 (to Adam): “[9] And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?”
  • PROMPTED ANSWER (Adam’s reply): “[10] And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
  • QUESTIONS #2 & #3 (to Adam): “[11] And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?”
  • PROMPTED ANSWER (Adam’s reply): “[12] And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.”
  • QUESTION #4 (to Eve): “[13a] And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done?”
  • PROMPTED ANSWER (Eve’s reply): “[13b] And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.”

Is it not interesting that the scoffer asks about the first question, but never bothers to see the other three questions? The point is that God asked not one, but four questions, to which He already knew the answers. Again, He was doing this for the sakes of Adam and Eve, not for Himself. Even today, we all (even the Bible critics) ask questions to which we already know the answers: “Why did you take this from me?” “Who gave you permission to leave?” “Why is it so dark in here?” Usually, we do not ask these questions to elicit information; we ask these questions to prompt the other individual to think of the current situation (theft, unruliness, darkness) and provoke them to make an attempt to resolve the matter (apology, obedience, turn on a light!).

To conclude this study, I cannot pass up the opportunity to ask my own set of related questions. Today, the sinner cannot be saved from God’s wrath until he or she comes to the point where Adam did—the sinner must come to understand his or her lost condition. It is not until one realizes he or she is dead in sin (“hiding in the bushes from God”), that salvation from that hell-bound course can be received. Dear reader, are you in Christ? Have you trusted the Lord Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection as sufficient payment for your sins? Or, are you in Adam? Are you like Adam, hiding from God due to broken fellowship with your Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ? In Adam? In Christ? “Where art thou,” dear reader?

Also see:
» If God exists, then why is there suffering? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
» Was God “bored” before creation?
» Was God unfair to punish us for Adam’s sin? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)

CREATION AND EARLY MAN, GOD, Was God “bored” before creation?, Was God “bored” before creation?

Was God “bored” before creation?

WHAT WAS GOD DOING BEFORE CREATION? WAS HE NOT “BOReD” WITHOUT ANGELS, ANIMALS, AND HUMANS TO WATCH?

by Shawn Brasseaux

God has always existed, and He will always exist. Imagine that! Read it again. God has always existed, and He will always exist. We cannot begin to imagine such a concept, but we take it by faith because the Bible testifies this to be true.

Everyone knows Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Yet, the question often arises, “What was God doing before creation?” Was God bored without the angels and man? Besides God, nothing existed. No angels, no people, no animals, nothing. So, was God “bored?” No, He was not bored. Why? The doctrine of the Trinity answers this question. Although we cannot give a detailed answer, we can grasp a better understanding of what God was doing before creation.

God exists in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—but He exists in one “Godhead” (see Acts 17:29 KJV, Romans 1:20 KJV, and Colossians 2:9 KJV). For instance, Jesus said in John 10:30: “I and my Father are one.” The Lord Jesus and God the Father are separate Persons, yet they are one God. Speaking of Jesus Christ, the Bible says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). There are many references in the Bible to the Godhead, but here are the three most obvious:

  • Matthew 28:19: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”
  • 2 Corinthians 13:14: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.”
  • 1 John 5:7 KJV*: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” (*Unfortunately, 1 John 5:7 is omitted from many modern English Bibles.)

To get a brief glimpse of what God was doing before creation, we look at what the Lord Jesus Christ prayed to His Father in John chapter 17. Verse 5: “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” What was before the creation of the world? The glory that God the Father and God the Son shared with each other! There was fellowship among the Persons of the Godhead: the Father and the Son shared glory. Let us continue reading in the Scriptures.

John 17:24 reads (Jesus still praying to His Father): “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” What occurred between God the Father and God the Son before the foundation (or the creation) of the world? Love! The Father loved the Son, and the Son loved the Father. The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead, was there to witness the love between God the Father and God the Son!

Also, we can also add that before the events of Genesis 1:1, the triune God was “laying out blueprints” for the timeline of human history. For instance, Ephesians 1:4 reads: “According as he [God the Father] hath chosen us in him [Christ Jesus] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” What was God doing before creation? He was choosing His servants, people who would serve Him—us, members of the Church Body of Christ—and He was planning our role in human history and His plan for the ages. (Please take note that He was not selecting us for salvation [as Calvinism teaches], He was selecting us for service. God was determining our role as members of the Church the Body of Christ.)

In the eons of eternity past, prior to creation, God was also setting the stage for His own death, as we see what Peter says to the Jews in Acts 2:23: “[Jesus Christ] Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” The triune God already knew and planned Christ’s First Advent and His crucifixion from the foundation of the world! He already knew He would have to die for man that would come on the scene later.

While it is possible we have not answered the question to your satisfaction, this is all the information God has chosen to reveal to us in His Word. It is not important to know what God was doing in eternity past; otherwise God would have gone into great detail about it in His Word. Anything beyond what we have discussed here from the Scriptures would simply be speculation, with no supporting Scripture.

Also see:
» Is the Trinity/Godhead a Biblical doctrine?
» Why did God create us? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
» Does God really exist? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)

CREATION AND EARLY MAN, Why do animals fear us?

Why do animals fear us?

WHY DO WILD ANIMALS ATTACK US OR RUN AWAY FROM US WHEN WE APPROACH THEM?

by Shawn Brasseaux

Why do wild animals normally run away from us or attack us when we approach them? The Bible has a very fascinating explanation.

In the beginning humans and animals lived together harmoniously. Actually, God brought to Adam all the fowls of the air and all the beasts of the field so that he could name them—yes, that would include dinosaurs! “[19] And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. [20] And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him” (Genesis 2:19,20).

Humans and animals were originally herbivores, meaning their diets consisted strictly of plants (herbs, nuts/seeds, fruits, vegetables, et cetera), not flesh. Genesis 1:29-30 tells us: “[29] And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. [30] And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.”

But, once Adam sinned, the diet of man and animals changed. “And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered” (Genesis 9:2). Here, Noah and his family have survived the Great Flood, and they are now exiting the ark. God’s instructions are: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” (Genesis 9:1). This is basically what God told Adam and Eve some 1,600 years earlier (Genesis 1:28), but now God adds a stipulation: Noah can eat flesh.

The LORD told Noah in Genesis 9:3: “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.” Mankind can now eat any creature: he has to first catch or trap it! But, to make it fair, God instilled within animals the desire to flee from us humans, and to attack us when we invade their habitats. Here is one example of where science disagrees with the Bible: scientists (wrongly) classify man as a “higher evolved animal,” whereas God’s Word differentiates between humans and animals.

Today, we do not observe Israel’s kosher food laws (Colossians 2:16). We can eat any animal we choose: “For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:4,5). You can eat any and every animal, but first you must catch it! 🙂

It should also be pointed out that this fear animals have of man will be intensified during the seven-year Tribulation, when God’s wrath will be poured out on unbelieving mankind. The Bible says that one-fourth of earth’s human population will be killed by sword (war), hunger, death, and “the beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:8). These wild animals will devour billions of people during Daniel’s 70th week! When Jesus Christ returns, the curse of sin will be lifted, and says the animal kingdom (and even humans), will return to their original strict diet of vegetation. Describing the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ, the Prophet Isaiah wrote:

“[6] The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. [7] And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. [8] And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’s den. [9] They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6-9). In that day, people and animals will dwell peacefully with each other.

Also see:
» Should a Christian believe in evolutionary theory? (UPCOMING)
» Who were Adam and Eve? (UPCOMING)
» Was the Great Flood of Noah’s day regional or global? (UPCOMING)